Millions of women who have missed cervical screening in England to be offered HPV home-testing kits
Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Warm-up
- How do you usually get health reminders in your country?
- Would a home test make you more likely to do a health check? Why?
- What stops people from going to medical appointments?
Vocabulary
- screening
- a medical test to check for a disease before symptoms appear
- eligible
- having the right to receive something or take part in something
- discreet
- private and not attracting attention
- swab
- a small stick with soft material used to collect a sample
- clinician
- a medical professional who sees and treats patients
- symptom
- a sign that shows you may have an illness
- follow-up
- a later check or visit after an initial test or treatment
- eliminate
- to remove something completely
Reading
Women in England who have missed a cervical screening appointment will be offered HPV self-testing kits by the NHS. Over the next year, nearly four million will get invites on the NHS App, or by text, email or letter, to order a free kit for home use. About a third of eligible women have not attended screening recently.
The kits check for high-risk HPV, which causes nearly all cervical cancer. Each kit includes a swab, like a long cotton bud, to collect a sample from the vagina. It is posted back to the NHS. If high-risk HPV is found, you will be invited to book a follow-up cervical screening with a clinician.
Women aged 24 to 64 are invited for screening every five years, or more often if HPV is detected. With vaccination and better screening, the NHS hopes to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Home kits offer a discreet, convenient choice, but clinic screening remains the best protection. Many cancers show no symptoms until later, so early checks matter.
Comprehension
- Who will be offered the HPV self-testing kits in England?
- How will invitations be sent, and over what time period?
- What is inside the kit, and what happens if HPV is found?
- What ages are invited for screening, and how often?
- What long-term goal does the NHS have for cervical cancer, and by when?
Grammar focus
Present perfect continuous
Use have/has + been + verb-ing for actions that started in the past and are still happening now (or very recently). Form: have/has been + verb-ing. (Examples constructed.)
- The NHS **has been offering** home kits to women who missed screening.
- Many women **have been missing** screening appointments lately.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence using the present perfect continuous (have/has been + verb-ing).
- NHS staff (work) ___ to send invites this year.
- Many women (miss) ___ appointments lately.
- The service (invite) ___ eligible women by text and letter.
- Teams (collect) ___ samples from home kits for several weeks.
- Researchers (study) ___ participation for months.
Discussion
- Would you prefer a home test or a clinic visit? Explain your choice.
- What could encourage more people to attend screening on time?
- Which invite works best: app, text, email, or letter? Why?
- Should other parts of the UK adopt home HPV testing soon?
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